Biking the Hoan would be better, riders conclude after trip downtown
Biking over the Hoan would be better, three dozen bicyclists concluded Monday after dodging traffic on a purposeful ride from Humboldt Park to the Discovery World Museum.
The result was no surprise.
State Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) and his legislative neighbor Rep. Jon Richards set up the lunch-time trip to show the dangers and inconvenience of the Bay View-to-downtown bike route the Wisconsin Department of Transportation chose 10 years ago. Then, the DOT rejected a proposal to add a bike and pedestrian lane to the bridge that connects the south side neighborhood to the lakeshore near Veterans Park.
Richards called it a “bitter conclusion.”
Almost the entire route is on busy streets, and bicyclists have no protection from motor vehicles. Richards called the experience pedaling on S. Kinnickinnic Ave. and S. 2nd St. “unnerving.”
Add in nearly 20 intersections, and the confusing route is clearly inferior to the alternative: a bike and pedestrian pathway on the 2.5-mile Daniel Hoan Memorial Bridge, Larson said.
“It would be so much easier to say go over the most beautiful bridge you see, and that’s going to connect you,” Larson said.
The ride was part of the current campaign to change the yet-to-be-completed path chosen in 2002.
Larson, Richards and cycling advocates have a window of opportunity to make their case, while the DOT again studies the feasibility of a bike lane as part of the planning for a reconstruction of the bridge scheduled to start in 2013.
A report on the cost and engineering challenges of adding a bike route, separated by a safety barrier, is set to be released later this year.
“This is a 40-year opportunity; a generational opportunity,” Larson said, as he gathered the group outside the Humboldt Park Pavilion.
The ride reinforced the impressions the bikers brought to the street.
“I prefer not to have all the stop signs and traffic,” said Debra Tuckwood, a member of the Bay View Bicycle Club. “I probably wouldn’t want to do it by myself.”
Tuckwood was one of the thousands who took the opportunity to ride the Hoan during the Miller Lite Ride for the Arts in June. That experience convinced her that the slope and wind would be easily overcome.
“I was surprised it was as easy as it was,” Tuckwood said.
Larson urged the riders, a mix of old and young, some on clunky mountain bikes and others on recumbents, to press business owners and state officials to see the benefits of opening the Hoan to bikers and walkers.
Their task is to convince opponents like Sheriff David Clarke and Gov. Scott Walker, who have called a bike lane on the Hoan too costly and too dangerous.
The group that traveled down S. 2nd St. doesn’t need further persuasion.
279 Comments for "Biking the Hoan would be better, riders conclude after trip downtown"
tabitha1 Oct 18, 2011 7:55 AM
tabitha1 Oct 18, 2011 8:01 AM
tabitha1 Oct 18, 2011 8:11 AM
Where is the outrage of cyclists regarding the fact that Barrett's incredibly stupid streetcar will render the route nearly impassable by bikes? A two inch gap, three inches deep will make an excellent trap for any biker. Incredibly dangerous. Will likely be closed to bicycles.
Just another negative aspect of a very flawed concept.
1Brewerfan Oct 18, 2011 8:15 AM
tabitha1 Oct 18, 2011 8:17 AM
Then charge them wheel tax and license fee for all bikes and those funds can be used for maintence of the path for litter and snow removal and any bike rider with out a license should be fined just like anyother veichle is for operating with out a valid registration.and require them to have Insurance they should pay to play just like anyone else.
Please don't spew all the tripe about toursim dollars following this fail Just like all the dollars that will come from Barret's 2 mile trolly line both are million dollar wastes
olderwisernow Oct 18, 2011 8:26 AM
BDWIRunner Oct 18, 2011 8:36 AM
My point with respect to the number of hunters vs cyclists is two-fold. First, The bicycling season lasts longer than any of the hunting seasons. yet there is an entire division of the DNR dedicated to managing the hunts. Second - more than twice as many WI residents participate in Bicycling than hunting. Thus there is a broader appeal.
The $924MM annual return I referenced is the economic impact calculated by the dept of Tourism. It does not include any of the manufacturing in WI related to bicycling.
BDWIRunner Oct 18, 2011 8:43 AM
I don't have the precise numbers right now, but from memory implementing the Chicago lanes cost well under $100K. The result was that the traffic mix in that area changed dramatically. And oddly enough, auto drivers were the biggest beneficiaries of the change. Auto congestion went down, travel times were shorter. This was the perfect embodiment of a "Win-Win".
BDWIRunner Oct 18, 2011 8:47 AM
mr54121rocks Oct 18, 2011 8:50 AM
Ronny Oct 18, 2011 9:00 AM
JTBA Oct 18, 2011 9:02 AM
At 3c/mile, drivers pay a total of 7.5 cents to cross the Hoan and you think it is fair to charge bikes $12/crossing??
At 7.5 cents/trip and 40,000 daily trips, the total "user fee" collected on the Hoan is about $1 million/year. Now consider the fact that next Hoan maintenance job (replacing the deck) will cost a MINIMUM of $275 million (more money than the bridge will "collect" in over 250 years).
So when you realize that drivers will pay off this one repair job in just 250 years (a repair job that will last 30-50 years tops), it becomes clear that drivers do NOT pay their own way on the Hoan.
TransitRider Oct 18, 2011 9:17 AM
I have biked over the Hoan Bridge, and while I am not 21 anymore, you need to be in very good shape to be able to make the entire trip.
Also, as others have pointed out, what happens when accidents happen in the bike path? How can ambulances get to the injured without restricting traffic for autos? Who will pay for all of these upgrades?
Everyone is taxed enough. Bikers can use the existing streets. Keep Gov't out of biking.
steelerfan Oct 18, 2011 9:17 AM